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Tuesday, February 28, 2012

four: shirley ng-benitez

Shirley Ng-Benitez is a children's book illustrator. Visit her webpage here.

Tell
us about your relationship to your art.

I can say that it’s taken me 20 years
to truly say that I LOVE my art. I don’t mean that in a boastful way, but a
sincerely heartfelt way..art and I go wayyyy back, and it’s not been an easy
relationship for sure.

My earliest recollection of enjoying
art and being “proud” enough to show it was back when I was in kindergarten and
I traced pictures of Bambi from a coloring book, and then sold them door to
door throughout the neighborhood. I remember receiving my first nickel for my art..what
a feeling!

The years flew by and I had not stopped
to consider art as a career until I was in Jr. College. It was 180 degrees from
my path to become an Industrial Engineer, but my parents were supportive and I
ended up studying at San Jose State University and received a BS in Graphic
Design with a concentration in Illustration. Throughout school, I hesitantly
and nervously worked on my painting and drawing skills, but never felt
confident enough to show it as I still felt that I was learning and that I wasn’t
ever going to make it in the field. There were too many other students and
artists that were better than I, better composers, craftspersons, and
idea-makers. I decided to focus on my design work instead, and thankfully I was
able to enjoy my first job as a Professional Lettering artist for American
Greetings, and I was then exposed to so many very talented and giving artists
and friends.

Graphic design and lettering were
wonderful artistic avenues for me while starting our family. After many years
of owning my company and focusing on designwork, I finally came back to
painting and illustrating about 2 years ago..and I can say that I am SO excited
and happy to be creating my art each day.

What's
a project (yours or another's) that has been exciting you lately?

I have a few personal projects that
keep me excited..the first being a monthly illustration of a fairy tale. The
second project consists of a picture book concept that’s been written but I
haven’t sketched or fleshed out yet (can’t wait to dig into that)..and an
ongoing sequence of events of a team of bears who were caught on the sea
floating adrift in a single innertube. Their journey continues…

Tell
us a little of your motherhood journey.

I had always known that I would
be a mom. I have two brothers, and I’m the middle kid, so growing up with
siblings is something I wanted for my kids. I always wanted at least two, and I
am blessed with two wonderful girls. Our first daughter was born in 1999 and
she absolutely changed our lives. I thankfully had a great pregnancy without
morning sickness, and just a bit of back labor towards the end, but thankfully
I didn’t have any complications or a difficult birth. My second pregnancy was
very similar, with the exception of a much larger appetite! But thankfully my
natural births went well and without complications. We were very, very blessed!

What
are some crucial elements of your process? How has that changed since
having children?

For me, each illustration starts with a
sketch. I constantly sketch and this is something that I’ve taken from my
graphic design experience at a design firm in the Bay Area. We created multiple
(sheets) of thumbnails before coming up with the color compositions for an ad
or sell sheet. When my babies were much younger, I would have to sketch late in
the evenings, or very early in the morning…and then squeeze more time in
between naps and feedings. Now that my girls are older, my mornings are freer,
but I still enjoy sketching very late in the evenings just before bedtime.

What
are some of the ways your family and your art interact?

All of my work is critiqued by my two
daughters, and every now and again, my husband is involved in helping to choose
a composition, or a character in a piece. I almost always defer to my kids,
though…for much of my work, even personal work, is for children.

Do
you find your attitude towards your art might be different because of your
parenting / has it changed since you became a parent?

Besides raising educated, respectful, and happy
people (my children), my goal for them is to love themselves and seek a career
that will make them happy, something that they have a passion for, for I truly
believe that if you find that passion, you will build a career from it and it
won’t even feel like work (well at least most of the time!). I now can say that
I embrace my work even more since having children for I find it magical and so
rewarding to receive an “awww” or “that’s cool” from my children. It’s the best
compliment ever.

Are
your children ever subjects in your art?

I’ve illustrated each of them
perhaps once or twice. I’m not great at illustrating people accurately, so they
become stylized. I suppose I don’t have the greatest confidence in doing this
kind of work.

How
does travel figure into your art? Do/did your children come along?
How has that worked out?

One of the instigators of my
finding my love of watercolor was taking a field box of watercolors and a
notebook with me on my first cruise with my husband to Mexico. I painted each
port and came away with a booklet of memories. I loved it! I now bring my
sketchbook and paints wherever I travel.

Recently, my family and I visited Kauai
for the first time..and yes, the kids were there, and they painted as well! Traveling
with kids is fabulous..it can be challenging with food and rest, and bathroom
breaks (multiple when they’re really young) but now that they’re 10 and 12, it’s
truly wonderful!

What
about promoting the arts with your own children--any fun projects to share?

We have boxes of art supplies and my
girls are always at my desk with me while I work. They draw, paint, sketch,
fold and cut paper – origami and they’re own creations with paper, and in the
summer we often swim and then dry off while drawing with chalk near the pool.
We paint holiday cookies, the girls bake and decorate cakes and cupcakes, and
they always create home-made cards for birthdays and celebrations or events,
and placecards for special occasions.

How
do you escape?

I sketch late at night..which is
very relaxing, and during a busy day, I’ll pop in an old movie and listen to it
while I work. Usually a Jane Austen-esque film of love. With my hot cup of Peet’s
coffee, I am in the zone. : )

What
advice do you have for expectant mothers in your field?

Be good to yourself and get the rest that you
need. Pace yourself and really try to set aside time for your husband and
yourself as that is the relationship that suffers the most as we give so much
to our children. I admit I am still learning how to do this and am grateful to
have a patient husband! When my daughters were very young, I burned the candle
at both ends and ended up at the age of 35 getting shingles. Shingles is one of
the most painful experiences I’ve ever had..as painful as childbirth and I was
lucky in that I only had it on my torso. If your immune system gets that low,
the varicella-zoster virus (the virus that causes chicken pox) will reactivate.
Because it took 2 months to recover, I now know when my body is “at risk” and I
force myself to rest and put work away. Deadlines will always be there, clients
will always need work done swifter and “yesterday” but your health comes first.
This is something I’m teaching myself and my children..to know your body, the
warning signs and learn how to handle stress. I think it’s something we, as
parents should give our children, with love and respect, a good toolbox of
tools to help them move through life during stressful and difficult times.

And one last thing, always, always take breaks throughout
the day..your children see you working hard sitting at your desk, but they also
need to see that you take care to relate to your family, eat well, enjoy the
sunshine, flowers and sunsets, …and especially them!